Traverse equipment



Geo:4

Filed Feb. 14, '1933 G. M. KENNEY T AL TRAVERSE EQUIPMENT Patented Sept. Il, 1934 UNITED STATES TRAVERSE EQUIPMENT George M. Kenney and William C. Kenney,

Cranston, R. I., assignors to Kenney Manufacturing Company, Cranston, R. I., a corporation of Rhode Island Application February 14, 1933, Serial No. 656,753

3 Claims.

VThis invention relates to traverse equipment and involves certain improvements upon the traverse equipment shown in our prior Patent No. 1,878,526 of September 20, 1932, to which reference is made as illustrating traverse equipment of the same general character as that involved herein.

According to our present invention we so construct our traverse equipment as optionally to permit overlap of one or both of the pendent 1Q draperies, or to dispense entirely with any overlap,

at the pleasure of the user. In accomplishing this result, we form each master carrier detachably to receive an overlap tongue or prong from which the drapery is sus- 15. pended, if overlap is desired. Such overlap tongue or prong may be removed from the carrier and instead the drapery suspended directly from the carrier itself rather than from the tongue or prong, where overlap is not desired.

Inasmuch as said removable tongue or prong must clear the opposing master carrier, or the overlap tongue or prong on said opposite carrier, if both carriers happen to be provided with said tongues or prongs, when the carriers are slid to- '25, wards each other to close the draperies each tongue or prong is bent so that its inner end is offset laterally relative to the master carrier on which it is detachably mounted. Preferably'although not necessarily, the same hole in the mas- 30 ter carrier which receives the drapery attaching pin or other hanger, when the master carrier is not provided with an overlap tongue or prong, is

utilized as the means whereby such tongue or prong may be detachably fastened to said carrier when it is desired that said carrier shall overlap its opposing master carrier.

Heretofore, this capacity for overlap was either present or not present, accordingly as to whether the master carriers were or were not provided with offset overlap tongues or prongs.

In so far as we are aware, however, we are the first in the art to make such overlap optional, according to the pleasure of the user, and to provide for selective overlap cf either one or both of the master carriers. Likewise, we believe ourselves to be the rst in the art to provide an overlap tongue or prong which may be detached from one carrier, reversed, and applied to the opposite carrier. This is particularly important when, as herein, the carriers are used with a reversible rod, such as the U-shaped rod of the George M. Kenney Patent No. 1,723,975, of August 6, 1929. In such case, and as explained in our prior Patent No.

' Y v 1,878,526, such rod is similarly patterned on both side walls so that the rod may be reversed and either side used as the front or cuter wall.

In accomplishing this result, the rod is simply lifted out of its supporting brackets, reversed end for end, and replaced in its brackets. This may be done without disturbing the setting of the carriers or removing or replacing any of the operating parts or cord rigging of the traverse. This enables the exposed operating ends of the pull cord to be shifted from right to left hand, or vice versa, end of the window or other opening which is to be draped, as desired, and since the overlap tongue or prong is detachable, such tongue or prong may be removed rand reversed as to its position on the master carrier so as to avoid having such tongue or prong lie behind instead of in front of the drapery when the rod is reversed, as would other-k wise be the case.

In the accompanying drawing We have illustrated one embodiment of our invention which we have found satisfactory in service and well adapted to manufacturing requirements in commercial quantities. In such drawing:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary front elevation of a traverseY installation in accordance With our present invention, one of the master carriers only of the traverse rod being shown as equipped with our detachable and interchangeable overlap tongue or prong, and the draperies being shown as drawn together and overlapped one upon the other to the extent permitted by such overlap tongue or prong.

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2--2, of Fig. yl.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one of the master carriers with its detachable overlap tongue or prong removed from the traverse rod, the master carrier and tongue or prong being themselves shown separated for clearness of illustration, and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary perspective View showing a modification.

We have indicated generally at 10 a rod element, which may be the U-shaped rod of the said George M. Kenney patent, and whichmaybe either a single length rod or may consist of two or more telescopic rod sections.

Such rod in either case presents a pair of spaced side walls connected across their upper edges by a top Wall and terminating at their lower edges in spaced upturned flanges which afford continuous trackways for a pair of duplicate master carriers 11 and 12 and a plurality of idler carriers 13.

The rod unit is removably supported at its ends in brackets 14 of suitable construction, as for example, those shown in our said prior patents, and

is reversible by simply lifting it out of said brackets, turning it end for end, and replacing it therein. The front wall of the rod thus becomes the rear wall in the reversed position of the rod and inasmuch as both walls of the rod preferably bear dupicate patterns, it is vimmaterial which wall is presented to view. z

The master and idler carriers slide inside the rod on the continuous uninterrupted trackways' provided by the upturned flanges at the lower edges of the rod, and the draperies 15 and 16 are suspended from said carriers by any suitable hangers.

In general both the master and idler carriers correspond to those illustrated in our said prior patent as to their cord locking and cord guiding formations, and the operating cord 17 is likewise rove through the rod and connected with said carriers in a similar manner. The pendentexposed operating ends of said cord are indicated at 18 and 19, and hang either at the left or right hand end of the rod, `according to which face of the rod is outermost.

Unlike the master carriers of our said prior patent, however, neither of the master carriers 11 or 12 herein is formed Afor permanent overlap, that is to say, neither of them has a permanentlyattached offset overlap tongue or prong, as in our said patent.

Instead one or both of them is provided with a detachable and interchangeable oiiset overlap tongue or prong 20. This consists of a simple length of material, .as metal, suitably bent to provide the necessary oiiset or clearance and having at its ends means, as the hole 21 whereby a drapery may be suspended therefrom.Y

Preferably, such tongue or prong is detachably fastened to the master carrier' in the same hole 22 thereof which when the'detachable prong is omitted functions as one of the attaching holes for the drapery suspension `pin or other hanger, the other suspension hole being indicated at 221. Said tongue or prong is adapted detachably to be secured to the master carrier by' means of a screw or equivalent fastening-23 set through said hole 22, the tongue or prong having between its ends an internally threaded boss 24 adapted to be registered with said hole 22 so that said screw 23 may be passed throughandset up tightly within the hole 22 and boss 24 to lclamp the tongue and carrier together as a unit.

In order to insure a permanency of attachment approximating integrality, the tongue and master carrier are formed for additional interlock. This may be done by extending the outer end of the tongue behind the exposed inner end of the carrier as an overlapping bearing porti-on which itself terminates in a forwardly bentlocking lip 25 adapted to be passe-d through a suitable locking slot 26 in the adjacent portion of the master carrier. Y

The tongue and carrier are assembled by first engaging said lip 25 in said slot 26 and'thereafter setting up the screw 23 in the registering hole 22 and boss 24. Y

As previously indicated the tongue is interchangeably useable with either of the two master carriers. This involves merely detachi'ng the tongue from the master carrier to which it hap; pens to be fastened, turning it end for end, and faste-ning. it in the hole and locking slot of the opposing master carrier.

If desired, both master carriers may be provided with such detachable overlap tongues.

If desired, also, the degree of drapery overlap may be made regulatable by providing a longitudinally adjustable connection between the tongue and carrier.- Such adjustable connection if use-d may be made simply by ,extending the hole 22 of the carrier as an elongated slot 27 (see Fig. 4) and beyond said slot 27 forming the carrier with a second elongated slot 271. The slot 27 receives the screw 23 and the slot 271 receives a locking key 28 formed on the inner end of the tongue or prong 20. When this or an equivalent adjustment connection is used, the degree of drapery voverlap is changed accordingly to the extent of overlap of said tongue on said master carrier.

When the rod is reversed by removing it from its supporting brackets and replacing it end for end therein, the overlap tongue is likewise removed from vthe master carrier to whichA it is attached, reversed, and fastened tov the other master carrier. This avoids having' the overlap tongue covered by the drapery as would otherwise be the case.

In such reversal'the exposed ends 18 and 19 of the operating cord 17 are likewise changed from a position at the right handA end'ofV'the window opening to the left hand end, -or vice versa, but the general rigging of the'traverse` equipment does not have to be changed.'

Either or both of the 'master slides may be provided with the detachable overlap tongues 20. Where both master carriers have such tongues,l the tongues are attached to thev carriers in` offset relation to each other so as to vclear each other when the draperies are overlapped.v f

Various modifications in construction and as-` sembly may obviously be resorted to wi-thin'l the spiritand scope of our invention," as defined by the appended claims. fi What we therefore claim by Letters Patent is: l Y

1. A carrier for atraverse rod, said carrier having a holeat its inner end from which a drapery is adapted to'be suspended, 'an oset overlap tongue having a boss adaptedy to be registered with said hole, va set screw through said registering hole 'and boss for fastening said tongue or prong to said carrier, said tongue or prong extending outwardly beyond said-boss-in overlapping relation to the inner-"end of said carrier and having a bent locking lip, and-said vcarrier having a locking slot adapted to-detachably receive said locking lip whereby additionally to secure the tongue or prong on saidt carrier.

2. A carrier as claimed in claim 1,wherein'caand'` desire to secure Apacity for longitudinal adjustment of the carrier with respect to the tongue or prong is lprovided by elongating the hole in the carrie-r and by forming the locking lip of the tongue or prong as a key adapted to ii't within said elongated slot'.

` 3. A carrier for a traverse rod, said carrier having a locking slot, an oifset overlap' tongue'ior prong detachably mounted .upon said carrier and having a bent locking lipv adapted. to be detachably received in said locking slot of the carrier.

GEORGE 1v1. KENNEY.' j, wrLLILAMj c. KENNEY. 

